BREEDS OF CHICKENS 
it differs from Asiatic poultry in being smaller, lighter feath- 
ered, quicker maturing, of greater egg-producing capacity, less 
disposed to become broody, and more active than the Asiatic 
fowl. 
The early American hens were of European origin, but of 
no fixed breeds. About 1840 Italian chickens began to be im- 
ported. These, with stock from Spain, have been bred for 
fixed types of form and color, and constitute our Mediterran- 
ean or non-sitting breeds of the present day. Soon after the 
importation of Italian chickens a chance importation was 
made from Southeastern Asia. These Asiatic chickens were 
quite different from anything yet seen, and further importa- 
tions followed. 
Poultry-breeding soon became the fashion. The first poul- 
try show was held in Boston in the early ’50’s. The Asiatic 
fowls imported were gray or yellowish-red in color, and were 
variously known as the Brahmapootras, Cochin-Chinas and 
Shanghais. With the rapid development of poultry-breeding 
there came a desire to produce new varieties. Every con- 
ceivable form of cross-breeding was resorted to. The great 
majority of breeds and varieties as they exist to-day are the 
results of crosses followed by a few years of selection for the 
desired form and color. Many of our common breeds still 
five us occasional individuals that resemble some of the 
types from which the breed was formed. The exact history 
of the formation of the American or mixed breeds is in dis- 
pute, but it is certain that they have been formed from a com- 
plex mixing of blood from both European and Asiatic sources. 
The English have recently furnished the world with a very 
popular breed which was originated by the same methods. I 
refer to the Orpingtons. 
The ever growing multiplicity of varieties of chicken is in 
reality only casually related to the business of the poultryman 
whose object is the production of human food. 
Breeding as an art or vocation, is a source of endless pleas- 
ure to man, and as such, is as worthy of encouragement as is 
painting, music, or the collection of the bones of prehistoric 
animals. Breeding as an art has produced many forms of 
chickens that are entirely worthless as food producers, but 
this same group of poultry breeders, tempered to be sure by 
the demands of commercialism, have produced other breeds 
167 
